"E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY!" If the numerous controversies circling Linkin Park's unlikely reunion have dominated much of the online discourse around them in recent weeks, not a drop of it has seeped into the O2 tonight. Emily Armstrong, the band's newly instated singer, is greeted like a hometown heroine as she arrives on stage, her name being chanted on enough occasions this evening to suggest that, as far as London is concerned at least, she's very much been accepted into the wider LP family.
Taking the reins from a singer as beloved and idiosyncratic as Chester Bennington was already a bumpy ride-in-waiting before the noise around Armstrong's previous allegiances emerged, but in the live domain, the Dead Sara vocalist proves an inspired choice, her soulful croons and scratchy bellows doing these songs justice without simply aping Bennington's unique tones. It gives the show the feel of the ultimate celebration, a love letter to Linkin Park co-signed by band and fans alike.
